Just a Computer Genius
by ThePrisoner24601
Summary: When an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and his teenage daughter arrive at Headquarters, it leads to secrets, tragedies, and a new hope of beating Hydra. Will contain all your favorite agents and ships :)
1. Intruder Alert

_Hello there! Soooooo, first fanfic, I love constructive criticism (but please mind your language). Thanks, and enjoy!_

 _btw if you know what my username is from, I like you already :)_

 _ **C **hapter I - Intruder Alert****_

Exhausted yet giddy with excitement, the team - Agent May, Agent Ward, Agent Skye, Agent Fitz, and Agent Simmons - dashed to the BUS. May hopped in the cockpit to blast them away, Simmons and Fitz returned to the lab to analyze the 0-8-4, Ward went for the showers, and Skye headed to her computer to do some research. Bobbi, Mack and Hunter were back at the base, eagerly waiting for the special team of five to arrive at HQ.

The plane landed gracefully in the hangar, much to the relief of Coulson. The retrieval of this 0-8-4 was vital to their mission - stopping Hydra, once and for all. Coulson dug through his messy desk, as if some magical file would appear full of details about the 0-8-4. That was the hardest part about being the director - not killing people, not keeping secrets, and not even dealing with idiots like General Talbot. No, the hardest part was putting the pieces together to try to understand Hydra's plan. It was like trying to build a fridge with instructions on how to build a dryer. And unless Coulson saw the world from Hydra's perspective, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were useless.

"Sir?" Skye asked as she knocked on Coulson's office door.

"Yes?" Coulson replied, not looking up from his scattered mess of documents.

"Simmons wanted you to come by the lab when you get a second."

"Is everything all right with the 0-8-4?" Coulson questioned worriedly, looking up at the young agent.

"Yep, she just wants you to see what she's found," Skye reassured him.

"Tell her I'll be there soon."

Skye nodded and closed the door.

Coulson returned to his documents. The 0-8-4 was extremely dangerous - in Hydra's hands, it would be a terrifying weapon. It needed to be erased from existence, but no one knew how. The 0-8-4 had to be destroyed before any innocent human beings were.

"Sir," a deep, familiar voice said. Coulson looked up to see Mack, the muscular Mr. Fix-It guy onboard, standing in the threshold. "There's someone in the bay."

Coulson frowned. How did someone find the top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters? "Do you have any idea who they could be?"

Mack shook his head, "No sir."

"Could they be Hydra?"

"No Hydra symbols on them and no weapons, sir. I'm not saying they're safe, but I doubt they're Hydra."

Coulson thought for a moment. This visitor could hurt the team, and would have access to all kinds of information about the team and S.H.I.E.L.D. "Have the team meet by the door. And tell the to be armed and ready, just in case."

"Yes sir." And Mack was gone. Coulson stood up slowly, praying he was making the right decision. A voice in the back of his head warned Coulson that he could be jeopardizing his entire team. But looking at the thin file of the 0-8-4 with the shouts from Hunter and Bobbi's last argument still ringing in his ear - maybe a fresh face wouldn't be so bad.

Skye sat on her bunk with her computer, hoping to find more information about the 0-8-4. Coulson was right - it really was dangerous, and the sooner FitzSimmons found a way to destroy it, the better.

There was a polite knock at her door, and Skye grunted for the intruder to enter. Her mood instantaneously changed when Ward walked in the room, a fresh cut on his cheek from their latest mission.

"Someone's found the base," he said. "Mack says he didn't see any weapons or Hydra symbols, but Coulson wants us all armed and ready just in case."

Skye grabbed her gun and stood up. "Shall we?" she smiled, shoving her gun in her pants.

"We shall," Ward grinned back, kissing her on the cheek. "Now get a move on, I'm going to round up the others."

Skye was still giddy from Ward's kiss, but curiosity and slight panic had her running down the halls to the door.

 _An intruder?_

 _Mack said there weren't any Hydra symbols._

 _At least, none that he could see._

 _How did someone find the base?_

 _It was insanely well hidden!_

Her mind raced faster than her feet as Skye tried to shake off the ominous thoughts.

The little gathering of agents was growing as curious but equally terrified members grabbed clutched their guns and prayed this wasn't the end.

Coulson arrived, and nodded for Mack to open the door.

Turns out, there wasn't a visitor.

There were two.

Before anyone could say anything, a man stepped forward, tall, bearded, and exhausted, he raised his hands and begged, "Please don't hurt us. I'm Agent David Ridley."

Coulson, who stood between Fitz and Simmons, opened his mouth to counter but Hunter beat him to it. "Really? Where did you work, then?"

"The Hub, sir." Ridley replied, taking off his gloves.

"May I see your badge?" Coulson questioned sternly.

"Yes sir." Ridley pulled out a shiny silver S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. "Level 8."

Coulson stepped forward to examine the badge. Ridley's face lit up when he realized who he was. "Agent Coulson, sir! The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. - we were at the Academy together."

Coulson smiled, "I do believe I remember you. You were the prankster, right?"

"Yes sir." The two men shook hands, and Ridley put his arm around a young girl, about 14 years old or so. "Oh, and this is my daughter, Georgia Ridley. She's gifted in computers, like her mom."

Skye perked up and couldn't hold a smile off her face.

"Is that so?" Coulson replied. "Our agent Skye is incredible with computers."

Skye nodded at the girl, who smiled back. Her eyes lingered on Skye for a while, and it took the hacker a minute to realize she was staring at the gun she carried. Georgia looked alarmed that everyone on the team had a gun - even Simmons, who could barely use one. Skye understood and tried to cover up her weapon.

"…But may I ask what you're doing here?" Agent Coulson questioned, obviously anxious for an answer.

"My wife Jane and I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. She was killed when Hydra took over, and Georgia and I have been on the run ever since. I knew Fury had built secret bases for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and I knew we'd be safe in one."

"I'm so sorry to hear about your wife," the director replied. "And yes, you are safe here. But I'm sure you can understand that we will have to examine you and your daughter to make sure we can trust you." Coulson motioned to the stout goofball, Billy. "Billy will take you to our Lie Detector. Don't worry," he added quickly, noting the girl's triggered countenance. "You'll be all right. And afterwards, you can settle in and meet the team."

When Billy and the Ridleys were out of earshot, Coulson turned to the team with an expression of upmost concern. "Normally I would trust these people, but in light of recent times, I want to take every precaution to ensure the Ridleys aren't hiding anything. Skye and Hunter, I need some info on David and Georgia, anything suspicious or abnormal. Bobbi and Ward - go through their bags and make sure they aren't hiding anything. May - tell the other bases that we've found Agent Ridley and that any information on him would be welcome. And Ward, look in the Academy yearbook in my office and make sure Ridley really was at the Academy."

As everyone turned to leave, Mack spoke up. "Woah, slow down Coulson! Can't we just give these people the benefit of the doubt or something? I don't see a single evil thing about them. They're just refugee agents."

"I know it sounds strange, but we need to be able to trust them. If David and Georgia are staying here, they'll have mountains of S.H.I.E.L.D. information at their fingertips. Now, let's get to it."


	2. Steady Acquaintances

**Chapter II - Steady Acquaintances**

Skye's fingers flew over the keyboard as Hunter whistled.

"Who knew anyone could type so fast?" he said, clearly impressed by the young agents unforeseen abilities.

Skye's foot tapped impatiently as the information slowly loaded. "I'm a hacker," she defended. "That's what makes us look so cool, right?"

"Think you could teach me?"

"It depends," Skye shrugged, grinning. "Bobbi says you don't do well with instruction."

"Well, Bobbi also says my cooking is horrible," Hunter countered. "The woman who fights with me all the time is not really the most reliable source for unbiased information about me."

Coulson entered the room with a stern countenance and a crisp new tie.

"Nice tie director," Hunter greeted, stepping closer to the computer to make it look like he'd actually been doing something useful.

"Thank you," Coulson replied, then turned to Skye. "What have you found so far?"

Hunter coughed loudly. "Well, I helped too."

"Agent David Ridley," Skye began, pointedly ignoring her partner. "49 years old, attended S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Worked at The Hub for twenty-two years, until Hydra took over. Was married to Agent Jane Kohls-Ridley and has a fourteen year old daughter named Georgia. In his spare time, Ridley enjoys coaching a hockey team for underprivileged kids and singing in the choir at his church." Skye took her eyes off her computer and looked at Coulson. "This guy's clean. The 'evilest' thing he's ever done was getting a speeding ticket on his way to a church fundraiser."

"That seals the deal, then. No one else can find anything suspicious about them. Hunter - go help Bobbi set up two rooms for our newest members. And Skye, do some more research on the 0-8-4."

And Coulson was gone.

"He's kind of in a Melinda May mood right now, don't you think?" Hunter asked as Skye fiddled with her computer.

"Hunter, he's just being serious about this. I would be too, it's kind of weird for two strangers to show up at our base just a few hours after we secured the 0-8-4."

Hunter shrugged and lumbered off to help Bobbi. Skye shook her head, trying to conceal her laughter.

"What's so funny?"

Skye knew the voice without even turning around. And when she did, Ward was grinning at her with that goofball smile he had. Skye felt her heart melt.

"Nothing," she replied, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

He looked down at her, grinning. "Need me to get on your level?"

She scowled and stood on his feet to try to be taller. Laughing, he leaned in to kiss her when Skye realized someone was watching. David Ridley.

"Agent Ridley!" Grant greeted, extending his hand to the man. Ridley shook it, still eyeing Skye warily.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," he smirked.

"No, you're alright," Skye replied, realizing just how red her face was. If Coulson or May found out! "I'm Skye."

"Just Skye?"

"Yes sir."

"Please, call me Ridley."

"Pleasure to meet you, Agent Ridley," Skye said.

"It's nice to meet you too, Skye," Ridley replied. "I can't seem to figure out how to get to Coulson's office, however."

"I'll show you," Ward offered, and the two men wandered off, leaving Skye and her thoughts alone in the room.

They had been so close to a kiss! Skye hoped Ridley wasn't going to the director's office to rat them out. Nonetheless, the hacker couldn't keep a smile off her face as she worked.

Georgia was very lost.

Headquarters were ginormous, and the last thing she need was to get lost on her first day. David had gone off looking for Director Coulson, leaving Georgia on her own. A nice agent named Tripp had shown her to the living room and made her some tea, but he'd been summoned to the lab for a checkup on some injuries. Georgia wrapped her jacket around her - it was chilly down here.

She wanted to stand up and look around. It had been nearly a year since she'd slept in a comfortable bed, taken a long, hot shower, or watched TV. But Tripp had told her to stay on the sofa and wait for someone to give her a proper tour and show her to her room. So Georgia sat. Her mug of tea was long gone and she was getting restless. Knowing that it would be polite to wash her own mug, Georgia stood up and got to work. She washed it thoroughly, remembering how she and Jane would wash dishes and sing Disney songs the entire time. Georgia shook her head as if to shake off the memories of her mom.

"You don't have to wash the dishes," a voice said. Georgia turned around to see a tall, female agent with wavy blonde hair and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, I was just washing my cup," Georgia replied quickly, shoving her hands in the pockets of her ripped jeans.

The agent gave her a disbelieving look as she walked to the sink. "Agent Bobbi Morse, by the way."

"Georgia Ridley."

"Coulson asked me to escort you to your room," Bobbi said, taking Georgia's bag. "Shall we?"

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Bobbi passed another agent. This girl was pretty young, mid-twenties at most, with long brown hair and bangs. She had a computer in her arms, and Georgia recognized her as Agent Skye, the resident computer genius.

"Bobbi - Mack was looking all over for you. Said it was really important."

Bobbi's face was suddenly serious. "Thanks, Skye."

"I'll escort Georgia, you go deal with whatever Mack's done this time," Skye offered, winking at me.

Bobbi rushed off, and it was back to silence.

"Nice lanyard," Skye noted, pointing to the girl's neon orange pass. Georgia shuddered, thinking of the gun Billy had had on him the entire time, like he was ready to shoot her if she got a question wrong. "Coulson pointed me out earlier, but I want to properly introduce myself." She stuck out her hand. "Agent Skye."

The girl shook it, "Georgia. So, you're the computer genius around here?"

"You could say that," Skye shrugged modestly. "I was a full-time hacker before I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. But I heard you're pretty good with computers too."

"More like a minor obsession," Georgia replied, and they both laughed.

"So, can I give you a hand unpacking your stuff?"

"I'd like that very much," Georgia replied, realizing that she and Skye were going to get along quite well.

Coulson had just finished a conversation with General Talbot when there was a knock at his office door.

"Come in," Coulson said, sitting down at his desk.

"Sir." It was Ridley. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead," Coulson encouraged. David hadn't changed at all from his days at the Academy, minus a few grey hairs. Ridley still wore a proud grin and small glasses that framed his worn, bearded face.

"I would like to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent again, sir."

Coulson didn't hesitate to smile. "I'm glad to hear that. And I'm also glad to say that we would love having you on our team."

"But Georgia will need to live here too," Ridley added quickly. "I know S.H.I.E.L.D. protocols might now allow-"

"Agent Ridley," Coulson interrupted. "This is a new S.H.I.E.L.D. And we would love to have your daughter stay with us."

"Agent David Theodore Ridley reporting for duty," Ridley grinned proudly.

And the two men shook on it.


	3. Gummy Bears

**Chapter III - Gummy Bears**

"So, this is the lab," Skye announced, motioning to the large room filled with sciency stuff.

"Holy biscuits," Georgia whispered. "That's a lot of equipment."

"Yeah, I don't go in here a lot. Too many expensive things I could break."

A smiling woman with short brown hair and a lab coat walked over. "I'm Agent Jemma Simmons. It's wonderful to meet you, Georgia."

"You too," Georgia replied politely.

"Skye isn't allowed in here because she always breaks something, so _I_ will give you a tour of the lab," Simmons said, eyeing Skye as if she might run into the lab and start throwing things.

"Geez, Simmons, way to be inclusive," Skye groaned. "I'm not that bad…"

Skye kept talking but Simmons grabbed Georgia's hand and started leading her around.

"Thanks a million, Jemma," Skye muttered sarcastically.

"My brain hurts," Georgia whispered as she and Skye left the lab _an hour later_.

"That's Simmons for you," Skye shrugged. "Science is her thing."

"So is talking, apparently."

They had made their way back to Skye's bunk, which Georgia considered to be pretty awesome. While Simmons had referred to it as "unfastidious", Georgia found the hacker's room to be a heaven for computer nerds, filled with books on coding, journals and papers covered in notes, and a sundry of snacks. Georgia opened a bag of gummy bears while Skye typed away furiously at her computer.

"Whatcha working on?"

"Just some stuff for Coulson," Skye replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Save me the red gummy bears."

"Can I help at all?"

"Yes, by not eating the red gummy bears."

"I meant the mission. You know, hacking into Hydra's computers and stuff."

"Thanks, but we've got it under control. Plus, being a hacker puts your life on the line. Hydra will want your abilities."

"I live at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. My life is already on the line."

Skye snorted and held her hand out. Georgia placed a handful of red gummy bears in her hand, and Skye shoved them all in her mouth. "Don't ever do that, by the way," Skye said, spraying gummy bear bits on her keyboard. "Shoving food in your face isn't polite."

It was Georgia turn to snort as she ripped the head off a white gummy bear.

"In all seriousness, I want to help Skye," Georgia begged. "I know computers."

Skye finally stopped typing and looked away from the screen. "Working for S.H.I.E.L.D. is really dangerous. I know you want to help and I'd feel the same way. But I can't risk you getting hurt. Hydra would easily kill you if they had the chance, especially if you were hacking into their system."

"Hydra already wants my head."

Skye stopping chewing her gummy bears.

"Why did you think my dad and I were on the run?" Georgia asked, getting slightly angry. "Fun?"

"But why- why would they want to kill a kid who can't even drive yet?" Skye managed.

"I told you," Georgia shrugged, popping a green gummy bear into her mouth. "I know computers."

Skye opened her mouth to respond, but there was a voice at the door. Ward.

"Hey babe, you still up for tonight?"

Skye turned redder than her handful of gummy bears. Georgia squealed.

"Yeah," Skye called back.

"She's definitely ready!" Georgia added, and Skye immediately shushed her.

"Oh. Hey, Georgia."

"Hiya, Ward."

"Anyway, Coulson wanted you in his office for a mission debriefing, Skye."

"Thanks Ward. I'll be right there."

Georgia tried to contain her giggles until after Ward was out of earshot, but she was squealing the second he stopped talking.

"Y'all are so cute together!" Georgia exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"Woah, chill," Skye warned, but she was grinning too. She stood up, grabbed her computer, and ripped her hair out of its messy ponytail.

"I'd better get to Coulson's office," Skye said, running her fingers through her tangled hair.

"Okay then," Georgia replied, standing up. "Have fun tonight with Ward."

Skye swatted her playfully on the head and left, with Georgia close behind.

As Skye made her way to Coulson's office, Georgia's words echoed in her head.

 _Hydra already wants my head._

Skye looked back at the innocent girl, who was now talking with Mack outside the lab. Hydra wanted _her_? What did she have that they wanted. With a pang in her heart, Skye realized Georgia had answered that.

 _I know computers._

"I'm glad you've taken an interest in the lab, Georgia," Simmons said as she worked.

"It's cool," the girl replied. "But to be honest, I just love hearing that accent. If I had a British accent, I'd seriously never shut up."

"I had friends like that as a child," Simmons smiled. "They just liked hearing themselves talk. It was quite strange."

Georgia laughed. "Fitz has got an awesome accent too. Scottish accents are so cool!"

Simmons bit her lip, but Georgia could tell she agreed.

"I can tell you like Fitz."

Jemma froze, and slowly looked at Georgia. "Oh really?"

"You light up like a Christmas tree when he enters the room," Georgia admitted.

"We've been friends since we were kids," Simmons responded, as if that explained everything.

"Were you two ever a thing?"

Simmons paused again. "Not really. We spend so much time together, I really couldn't think of him as anything but my best friend."

Georgia gave her a disbelieving look and muttered, "Definitely soulmates."

Simmons, who had excellent hearing, managed to catch Georgia's analysis of her and Fitz. She smiled to herself as she worked, keeping an eye on the mischievous teen, who was now admiring some small tubes filled with red liquid.

"What happens if I drink this?"

"You'll explode, naturally," Simmons replied. "Actually, its slightly more complicated than that. The liquid would cause your insides to freeze, then combust, thus you'd burn from the inside out."

"Really?"

"No. I'm joking. That's a sample of Trip's blood."

"I can't believe I just fell for that," Georgia laughed. "But seriously, do you have a serum or something to make people burn from the inside out?"

Fitz walked in the lab just in time to hear Georgia's question. "No, we don't," he answered. "But wouldn't that be cool, Jemma? We should create that sometime."

Simmons sighed. "I would, but I'm swamped with Trip's recovery, the 0-8-4, and everything else going on. It would be a nice serum, but I wouldn't be able to create it for about five years. Unless, of course…."

Georgia finished the sentence for her. "You had some help?"

"Exactly."

"Doctor Georgia Raye Ridley, PhD in Computerology."

"That's not a word," Fitz corrected.

"Good enough for me. So, when can we start?"

"Soon," Simmons promised. "But for now, you can help me with this 0-8-4."


	4. Being Missional

**Chapter IV - Being Missional**

"A mission!"

Skye and Simmons sighed.

"You're sending him on a mission when we've been here less than a week?"

They had known this wouldn't be pretty, but Georgia going hysterical was not foreseen by either agent.

"I can't believe it!" the girl muttered for the hundredth time.

"Georgia, listen to me," Simmons groaned - also for the hundredth time. "Your father told Director Coulson that he wanted to get back in the field as soon as Coulson needed him."

"And Coulson needs him!" Skye added, praying it would get through to Georgia this time. They'd been in the lab debating this for the past half-hour.

Georgia, as usual, was quick to fire back. "He's been on the run for 346 days from Hydra, and five days into our stay, Coulson decides to send him into a Hydra base."

Georgia was breathing faster and faster, her small chest rising with her anger and anxiety.

"Georgia, breathe," Skye interrupted, sitting the girl down and taking a knee. "It's going to be ok. If Coulson thought this mission was too dangerous, he wouldn't send us in."

"Yes he would," Simmons thought with alarm. "He'd just tell us the chances of coming out alive." She could tell Skye was thinking the same thing. But Georgia didn't need to know that, it would only worsen her anxiety.

"Georgia," Simmons began weakly. "While your dad's gone, why don't we get to work on the serum?"

Georgia stood up, her face red. "Stop changing the subject like I'm a five year old!" Skye heard the cracks in her voice and enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm scared, Skye." Georgia whispered.

"I know," Skye murmured. "But it's going to be ok."

The team - Coulson, May, Ward, Ridley, Fitz, Bobbi, and Mack - left early the next morning. Georgia, Trip, Skye and Simmons were up early to see them off. Hunter had chosen to sleep in and had given his goodbyes and good lucks the previous evening.

The departing of a portion of the team was always hard, but the remaining men tried to keep their farewells short. It wasn't necessarily a dangerous mission, but the team would be gone for a couple of weeks working at several different locations.

"I love you," Skye whispered, giving Ward a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too, Skye." Behind her, Trip cleared his throat.

She stepped away, blushing, as Trip and Ward shook hands.

FitzSimmons had stuck to shaking hands, though anyone could tell that both wanted more than that. Georgia smiled weakly, praying this wasn't the last time she was in her dad's arms.

 _Why am I so afraid of him leaving?_

 _He's got an entire team._

 _Nothing bad's going to happen._

Ridley kissed his daughter on the forehead, then nodded to Coulson.

"Let's head out," Coulson declared.

Simmons squeezed Georgia's shoulder as the BUS took off. "Let's go make breakfast."

Trip flipped pancakes as he whistled happily.

"How many?" He asked Georgia over his shoulder.

"Four, please."

"Skye?"

"Four."

"Simmons?"

"Just three."

Trip pretended to be offended Simmons didn't want more. The four of them were still laughing when Hunter stumbled into the room.

"Good morning!" Georgia greeted cheerfully.

Hunter grunted in return and blindly trudged to the fridge.  
"We made pancakes," Trip offered.

Hunter grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat down at the counter next to Skye.

"Really, Hunter?" Skye groaned. "Beer for breakfast?"

"And now we're all out," Trip sighed, noting the absence of bottles in the fridge.

"Honestly, Hunter, you need protein," Simmons said, always being the doctor. "You're an agent. Eating healthy is vital to your well-being."

"Says the agent eating chocolate chip pancakes doused in whipped cream and syrup."

"Yes, well I'm not on a mission right now."

"Neither am I."

Skye snorted and Georgia laughed. When Simmons and Hunter were in the same room, it was always a grab-the-popcorn kind of event.

"Well," Simmons said, standing up. "I had better get to the lab. See you later."

Georgia sunk onto the couch, grabbed a controller, and flipped on the console.

"Trip?" Hunter was asking.

"Mmhmm?" Trip was washing dishes.

"Do you think pancakes would taste good if you put, well, beer in them?"

"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that and tell you to go do something useful."

"Thanks, Trip."

"Anytime."

Even though Skye was rather clumsy when it came to objects in the lab, she followed Simmons into the lab. Too many questions had been bothering her. The problem was, she wasn't sure how to ask.

Turns out, she didn't have to.

"What's wrong?" Simmons asked nonchalantly, not taking her eyes off her sciency things.

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Oh Skye, you're my best friend. I can read you like a book."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Simmons looked up at her best friend and motioned invitingly for her to sit down, which the hacker did. "What's on your mind?"

"It's about Georgia," Skye answered, spinning around on her swivel stool. "She said something the other day."  
"What did she say?" Simmons asked as she took notes on her specimen.

"She said Hydra was after her."

Simmons stopped writing and looked up. "Why?"

"Georgia said her computer knowledge, but I don't think that's it. I mean, I know computers and Hydra doesn't want my head."

"Maybe they think she'd make a good spy. Young, innocent, not too many strong ties."

Skye debated this for a minute.

"But Georgia could just be telling the truth," Simmons added, returning to her work. "She doesn't seem to be much of a liar."

"I like to think she isn't."

"Me too, Skye," the scientist sighed. "Me too." Simmons stood up to return the specimen to its case. She placed her hand on Skye's shoulder. "Talk to Coulson. He'd want to know this sort of information."

"No," Skye replied quickly. "If Coulson finds out, he might send them away."

"Skye-" her best friend began.

"Georgia's fourteen," Skye interrupted. "What were you doing when you were fourteen?"

Simmons shrugged, "School, I suppose. I spent most of my spare time with my friends or reading."

"Exactly. She's a kid, and she needs the chance to be a kid. She had to grow up fast - I know the feeling and it sucks, Simmons." Skye exhaled slowly. "Promise you won't tell Coulson."

"I promise."

"Do you do this a lot?" Georgia asked, shaking the blue bottle of nail polish.

"Every Friday," Simmons replied, still trying to decide between two colors.

"Brought some snacks," Skye announced, closing the door behind her. The three of them were holed up in Skye's bunk, blasting music and talking about things Georgia hadn't talked about in a long time. They were painting their nails too, which Georgia had rarely done as a kid but still enjoyed nonetheless.

"And none of the boys ever eavesdrop on you?" Georgia questioned, keeping an eye on the door in case Hunter or Trip showed up.

"Hunter did once," Skye grinned. "But he learned his lesson."  
The three of them laughed.

"This is a really pretty blue," Georgia thought aloud.

"We call it Skye Blue," its namesake replied.

"Fitting," Georgia smiled, admiring her painted toes. "Jane and I used to do this when I was little."

Skye and Jemma glanced at each other, smiling.

"Why do you call your mom by her first name?" Simmons asked, praying she didn't upset the teen.

"Well, I called them by their first names when they fostered me," Georgia explained, thankfully not bothered by the question. "But when they adopted me, I just never started calling them Mom and Dad."

Skye almost dropped her bottle of nail polish. "You're adopted?"

"Yeah, why? Is that a problem?"

"No!" Simmons interjected. "It isn't a problem at all, it's just that-"

"I was in the foster system too," Skye finished.

"Really? Did you ever get adopted?"

"No."

Georgia's face became downcast. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's cool. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s the best family in the world."

"Definitely," Georgia agreed.

"So, when did Ridley and his wife adopted you?" Simmons asked, opening a bag of chips.

"I was nine," Georgia answered, stealing one of Simmons's potato chips.

"Wow," Skye remarked, also taking a chip from the scientist.

"Quit stealing my crisps," Simmons reproofed, hiding her bag behind her protectively. The three of them laughed and the conversation moved on. But Skye was smiling like an idiot all night long, even in bed way later that night. She and Georgia were so similar she could be her little sister. That thought was so comforting Skye closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.

The days passed rather quickly. Between video games with Trip and Hunter, hanging out in the lab with Simmons, and swapping stories with Skye, Georgia could hardly believe her father had been gone for nearly two weeks.

"When they get in tomorrow," Simmons said at breakfast one morning, "they'll be exhausted as well as extremely busy analyzing and working with their new information."

Georgia nodded slowly, taking a long sip of her orange juice. Director Coulson had already been sending Skye and Simmons assignments.

"Has Coulson reported any injuries?" Trip asked as he slathered butter and syrup on his stack of waffles.

"No, or at least nothing major," Simmons replied flatly. Georgia sighed with relief. Her dad was alive, unharmed, and coming home to her again.


End file.
